To all whom it may concern



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. REYNOLDS. VALVE FOR STEAM ENGINES.

No. 67,583. Patented Aug. 6, 1867.

717,372 mare 2 Sheets sheet 2.

RREY OLDSI VALVE FOR STEAM ENGINES.

No. 67,583. Patented Aug. 6, 1867.

nitnh grates garnet @ffire EDWIN REYNOLDS, OF BOSTON, ASSIGN'OR TOHIMSELF AND JAMES A.

WOODBURY, OF WINCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

Letters Patent No. 67,583, dated August 6, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN VALVES FOR STEAM ENGINES.

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TO ALL- WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, EDWIN REYNOLDS, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk,and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improved Valve-Gear forSteam Engines; and I do hereby declare that the following, taken inconnection with the drawings which accompany an'd form part of thisspecification, is a. description of my invention suflicien't to enablethose skilled in the art to practise it.

This invention relates to an improved construction of valves, and teamarrangement of one compound cam, by which alone, in connection with theregulator, the valves at each end of the steam-cylinder are controlledin their movement as to admission and exhaust ofthe steam. Ofthc'drawings--- Figure 1 shows inside elevation the cylinder of ahorizontal engine with my improved valve-gear therewith connected.

Figure 2 shows the same partly in plan; and partly in horizontalsection, taken in the line z 2 (see fig. 1) through the centre of thefront valve-chest, while Figures 3, 4, and 5 arc perspective views of mypeculiar form of valves and valve-seats.

Before describing the means by which the valves are moved, so asproperly to admit the passage of the steam into and out of the cylinder,I will explain the construction of the valves and valve-seats inconnection with the steam-chests, cylinder, and the inlet and exhaustpipes or passagcs. I

At each end of'the cylinder there is fixed thcreunto a frusto-conicalvalve-seat, cast separate therefrom. One of saids cats is shown inperspective alone, by itself, in fig. l rith portions broken away toexhibit its interior construction. This seat is also shown in'connection with its valve in figs. 2 and 5. It has a flange, a, by whichit is secured to the cylinder, and a frusto-conical shell, 6, projectingtherefrom, which is closed at its small end by ahead, 0. Within thisshell, about midway and crosswise of its length, is a diaphragm, 01,separating the space enclosed by the frusto-conical shell, 17, into twoparts, one of which, the outer part, or the part a at the small end, Ishall term the exhaust part, while the other part I shall term the steampart. I From this diaphragm, and extending to the exhaust passage e,cored in the cylinder casting, is a pipe-like formation markedf, openinginto theexhaust part of the valve-seat, hnd forming a closed passagethrough the steam part of the valve-seat, by and through which passagethe exhaust steam finds exit from said exhaust part into the exhaustpassage marked e. This passagef leaves in the steam part of thevalve-seat a space which is nearly annular, and which communicates withthe cored passage 9 made in the end of the cylinder, through which thesteam passes both in entering and in leaving it. Through thefrusto-conical shell 6 are formed ports, of suitable size, shape, andnumber, into'the aforesaid steam and exhaust spaces enclosed in thevalve-seat. In the instance illustrated in the drawings, there are threeports showrnas entering each of the aforesaid spaces, and I would remarkthat it is advisable so to proportion the parts that the ports into theexha st space shall be of greater area than the ports into the steamspace. It is perhaps almost superfluous toremapk that all partsdescribed relating to the valve-seat, valve, and valve-chest, areduplicated at the other end of the cylinder.

The valve which operates upon the described seat is a frusto-conicalshell, with its small end closed by a head to which the valve-spindle isfixed, and with its large end open, the inside of the shell of the valvefitting exactly the outsideof the seat, with the edge of the large endof the valve bearing upon the flange a of the seat, so as to prevent thevalve from being forced by the steam pressure too closely upon thevalve-seat. Exhaust Ds or passages are made in this valve, as seen at I:h 11, and steam ports iii are cut through the valve, corresponding insize, shape, and spacing with the ports into the steam space of thevalve-scat. The ports in the valve-seat, into the steam and exhaustspaces therein, are arranged in pairs, each pair being in one radialplane, so that when the valve is so turned as to bring one of theexhaust Ds or passages it over any pair of ports in the valve-seat, thesteam from within the cylinder can escape in the'direction and mannerindicated by arrows marked in red ink on the drawings. The valve andvalve-scat are enclosed in a tight valve-chest, with suflicient spacetherein to let the steam entering from the steam pipej find its wayfreely into any of the steam ports it'i,

in the direction and manner indicated by the arrows marked in blue inkonthe drawings. The stem k of the valve passes through a stuflin'g-box,and is provided with 'a suitable outside bearing, and an arm, Z, on thestem being connected with a bar, m, causes partial rotations of thevalve consequent upon reciprocations of the bar m, said rcciprocationsbeing caused by the action of the compound cam before referred to, therotations of which are obtained by toothed wheels,'so as to have apositive relation to the rotation of the main shaft of the engine.This'compound cam, which is 'seen in plan in fig. 2, operates onfriction-rolls n n which are journalled to the bars m m, the projectionsfrom the diskorplate of said cam striking against said rolls and actth'ereon as inclines to move them and the ba'rs m m toward and from thecentre of thecam. These projections, with but one exception, are fixedupon the plate of the cam, the exception being the projection which so-moves each valve as to close the steam ports and cut off the steam frompassing-into the cylinder. I This projection is marked 0 in thedrawings, and has a hub, 10, which is capable of turning on a sleeve, g,which is raised and lowered by the action of the regulator. In thissleeve 9 there is fixed a pin which, working in an inclined slot made inthe hub 1, causes partial rotations of the part 0 of the cam. Oneportion of the part 0 is made concentric with the centre on which itrotates. The cam-plate r, the hub 19, the sleeve q, and the shaft 8 areall arranged to rotate together, making one revolution to eachrevolution of the engine-shaft, the sleeve q being splined to the shafts, so as torotate with it,-though free to rise and fall thereon underthe influence oithe regulator. This 'calm ,ispositive in itsaction, andby its action-alone'are the valves at each end of the cylindercontrolled 'an d moved. die-trace the-actiouof this compound cam oneither of the valves, the direction of the rotation of the cam beingthat indicatedby the arrow marked thereon, we will follow the operationthereof on the valve at the rear end of the cylinder from the position which'it has' in the drawing, that being where the contents of the rearend of the cylinder are freely exhausting, as the piston moves from thefront to the rear of the cylinder, with the exhaust ports of the rearvalve fully open. When the incline of the cam marked 1'2 abuts againstthe friction-roll n the bar m'is thereby moved toward the shaft 8, thisoperating to partially rotate the valve connected therewith to theextent needed to close the exhaust ports and open the steam ports, so asto admit.

steam upon the piston from the rear end of the cylinder. The valve thenremains open where it'is placed by .the point 2, as it leaves-the rolln, till thc incline 3 4 acts on the roll n, and moves the bar m awayfrom the shaft 8 sufliciently to close the-open steam'ports, thuscutting oil the steam, and the valve remainsin the position where thepoint 4 leaves it, with the stea meut ofl', till the pisto'narrives atabout the front endof the cylinder, when the projection marked 5 strikesthe roll '12, and, by moving the bar m away from shaft 8, openstheexhaust ports, so as to allow the exhaust of the contents of thecylinder through the rear vhlve; 'the concentric portion'ofo'exposed-between the points 4 and 5 not causing any movement of thevalve. It will thus be seen that the closing of the exhaustportsnnd theopening of the steam portsis effected in rapid succession by oneincline, marked 12, and that the closing of the ports for'cutting o'ifthe steam, is effected by the incline 3 4, and that the opening of theexhaust ports is eifected by the inclinsfi, while it will be evidentthat the valve at the front end of the cylinder will be similarlyoperated upon by the said inclines of the cam, and at the proper times.

By inspection of the drawings it will be seen that the connection oftheregulator with the cut-ofi' part 0 i of thecam is such as to make theincline 3 4 approach the incline 1 2 whenever the balls of the regulatorare raised by'increase of speed of the engine, the operation of thischange of the relative position of said inclines being to causethevalves to cut off steam sooner after the stcarnports are opened by theaction of the incline 1 2, and thus, by lessening the amount'of steamused, to reduce the-speed of the engine to its normal rate. When theregulator balls fall, consequent upon diminished speed of theengine,then the efiect of such falling, it-is obvious, will be to cause theincline 3'4 to approach the projection 5, this permitting the steamports to remain open longer before the valve operates to cut ofi steam,and thus, byincreasing the consumption of steam, th speed of the enginewill be brought. up to its normal rate.

I claim the construction of a valve in the form of a hollow cap providedwith suitable recesses and ports or openings for passages, when arrangedto work upon a suitable projecting cap as a seat, also provided withsuitable ports or passages, substantially as described, said caps beingpreferably made conical as a provision for wear;

Also the compound cam, when constructed and arranged to operatesubstantially as described.

EDWIN REYNOLDS.

Witnesses:

J. B. Cnosnr, 1-". GOULD.

